Holder for sewing machine bobbins, and the like



J. HALPERN Feb. 13, 1962 HOLDER FOR SEWING MACHINE BOBBINS, AND THE LIKE Filed Aug. 15. 1959 l/l Id FIG.2

m, W Hy 1, 6 4 W I i L v Z INVENTOR. Jose 6h HaI Jem 3,021,093 HOLDER FOR SEWING MACI ME ROBBINS, AND TI-E LHQE Joseph Halpern, 2760 Grand Concourse, New York, N.Y. Filed Aug. 13, 1959, Ser. No. 833,519 2 Claims. (Cl. 242134) The present invention relates to a device for holding and supporting winding articles, such as sewing machine thread bobbins, or thread spools, when not in use.

Sewing machine thread bobbins and thread spools, especially those used non-industrially, in the home, generally comprise a cylindrical, tubular body between whose end flanges the thread is wound. Persons utilizing a sewing machine generally possess a great number of thread bobbins or thread spools, each carrying differently colored thread or thread of different thickness. It is the experience of sewing machine users that there is a great difliculty in keeping such thread bobbins and spools in neat arrangement. Because of their roundness, these spools and bobbins tend to roll and unwind, so that the ends of their thread become matted and entangled with one another in an unsightly mass that is difficult to dis entangle and separate, and is generally wasteful because of the need to break off the snagged portions of the threads.

The present invention is directed to the provision of a device or frame for mounting and supporting sewing machine thread bobbins or thread spools in spaced, separate relation to one another, and secure them against rotation, to thereby reduce their tendency to unwind and the matting or tangling of their threads to a minimum.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide devices of the character described on which the bobbins or spools are individually supported and held in place against rolling away.

It is another object of the present invention to provide devices of the character described on which the bobbins or spools are held in clear view for easy selection as to thread color or thickness, without the need for handling the same for that purpose.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide devices or frames of the character described upon which the bobbins or spools may be disposed and supported and from which they may be individually removed with great ease and facility, and with a minimum of effort.

It is still a further object of the present invention to provide devices of the character described which are relatively compact, so that a great number of thread bobbins or spools may be stored and disposed in a minimum of space.

It is yet a further object of the present invention to provide devices of the character described which do not only retain the spools or bobbins in neat and trim arrangement, but are themselves of neat, trim and attractive appearance.

It is yet another object of the present invention to provide devices of the character described which are relatively simple construction and may be cheaply and economically mass-produced to sell at relatively low cost.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the devices of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the embodiment thereof shown in the accompanying drawings, and from the description following. It is to be understood, however, that such embodiment is shnwn by way of illustration only, to make the principles and practice of the invention more readily comprehensible, and without any intent of limiting the invention to the specific details therein shown.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of one embodiment of the dfiZlfifiB Patented Feb. 13, 1962 present invention, in the form of a support for sewing machine bobbins; shown with a number of bobbins supported in place thereon; and

FIG. 2 is a section taken on line 22 of FIG. 1.

Referring now in greater detail to the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the same comprises a generally flat, relatively thin, preferably rectangularly-shaped sheet or plate, designated as 10, which may preferably be formed of a synthetic plastic material of inherent flexibly resilient characteristics, such as polyethylene plastic, or resinous material of similar characteristics. The plate It) is formed with a plurality of openings, 12, each of preferably rectangular shape adapted to accommodate therewithin the widest and thickest portion of a cylindrical threadholder such as the bobbin, generally designated as 14, to be supported thereon.

The bobbin 14 of conventional sewing machine type comprises a tubular core, 16, having end flanges, 18, and axially extending cylindrical passageway, 24 therethrough. Each of the openings 12 has one dimension slightly larger than the length of the bobbin core 16, and the other dimension slightly larger than the diameter of a flange 18. Each of the edges of each opening 12 facing the ends of the core 16 and defining the latter dimension is formed with a central detent projection, 22, in register with that of the other, and of a thickness and width adapted to fit within the bobbin passageway 20. The ends of the detent projections are spaced from one another a distance less than the length of the bobbin passageway 20, and may be of sufficient flexible resilience to be readily offset upwardly or downwardly. To that end, such detent projections 22 may, if necessary, be formed of lesser thickness than the adjacent portions of the plate 10, and may be connected to such adjacent portions of the plate 10 by a neck, 24, of reduced width and/ or thickness.

The openings 12 in the plate 10 may be arranged in regularly spaced, alined relation to one another, in any desired number of rows, each having any desired number of rows, each having any desired number of openings 12; the openings 12 being separated by spacing sections, 26, of any desired suitable thickness.

The plate 10 may be provided with means for spacing the same from a supporting surface so as to maintain the bobbins out of contact with any supporting surface. Such means may comprise dependent upright portions, 28, extending from one or both pairs of opposed edges of the plate 19, and also, if desired, from any of the spacing sections, either longitudinal or transverse.

If desired, the detent projections 22 may have at least a portion thereof entering into the ends of the passageway 20, of a width adapted to impinge on the walls of such passageway, to thereby inhibit rotation of the bobbin on the supporting detent extensions 22.

In use, a bobbin 14 is engaged by the flanges 18 thereof and pushed into one of the openings 12, depressing the facing detent projections 22 until they register with the ends of the bobbin passageway 20, into which they will resiliently snap to engage and support the bobbin after it is released from the hand. To remove the bobbin, the process is reversed; the bobbin 14 being pulled to offset the supporting detents 22 to displace them from the bobbin passageway 20 and free the bobbin for removal from the opening 12.

It will be apparent that by the use of the device of the present invention each bobbin is supported and held individually in spaced relation from the other, and may be put into place and removed therefrom without interference of the other bobbins, to thereby eliminate the rolling and unravelling of the latter, and avoid the numerous loose ends which tangle and mat.

It will also be apparent that the device of the present invention is capable of holding a large number of bobbins in individually spaced relation, and out of contact with the other, in a neat and compact manner. It will further be apparent that the devices of the present invention may be easily and economically mass-produced by either molding or extrusion, with subsequent die-cutting of the openings in the latter instance, at relatively low cost.

It may here be stated that while the devices of the present invention have been illustrated in the form of sewing machine bobbin-supporting structures, they are equally suitable for use for the support of other cylindrical or spool-like articles on which thread or similar filaments are wound, as, for instance, thread spools. Such other supporting devices, it will be readily apparent, will require only modification of the size of the plate It and of the openings 12 and detent projections 22 thereof.

It will be likewise apparent that numerous other modifications and variations of the devices of the present invention may be made by anyone skilled in the art, in accordance with the principles of the invention hereinabove set forth, and without the exercise of any inventive ingenuity. I desire, therefore, to be protected for any and all such modifications and variations that may be made within the spirit of the present invention and scope of the claims hereto appended.

What I claim is:

1. A device for holding a plurality of spool-shaped bodies each having a core and an axially-extending opening in each end of said core, said device comprising a sheet of material having a plurality of openings formed therein arranged in at least one row, each of said openings having a pair of parallel edges spaced apart a distance greater than the length of said body core, each of said parallel edges having a resiliently flexible projection extending therefrom in register with the projection of the other edge, said projections spaced apart a distance less than the length of said core and adapted to resiliently enter said core openings to support said body between them, said sheet material having extensions normal thereto adapted to support same in elevated relation on a supporting surface.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein said sheet is formed of resiliently flexible material and said projections are integral therewith and are connected to said edges by a necl; of reduced cross-section.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,943,542 McDonough Ian. 16, 1934 2,222,951 Krueger Nov. 26, 1940 2,542,758 Erickson Feb. 20, 1951 

